After posting an impressive sweep of Pac-12 Conference foe Arizona State last weekend, the No. 22 Oregon baseball team will face its stiffest test of the season when it visits No. 5 UCLA for a three-game series beginning Thursday. @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=11401&SPSID=94835@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205408413@@
The Bruins (20-5, 7-2) have weathered the departure of two top-five draft picks in the 2011 MLB Draft (Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer) better than anticipated. UCLA is tied with Arizona for first in the Pac-12 and has won 18 of its past 20 games. @@http://pac-12.org/SPORTS/Baseball/Standings.aspx@@ @@http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-basebl/sched/ucla-m-basebl-sched.html@@ @@http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/draft/y2011/@@
Although the Bruins’ pitching has been slightly less effective than it was in 2011 (UCLA had a Pac-12-best 2.44 team ERA in 2011, compared to 3.29 this year), the team’s offense is much improved. UCLA is second in the Pac-12 with a .312 team batting average (last season the Bruins hit .263) and leads the conference with a .404 on-base percentage. @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/baseball/stats/2010-11/HTML/lgsumm.htm@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/baseball/stats/2011-12/HTML/lgsumm.htm@@ @@http://www.pac-12.org/portals/7/images/baseball/stats/2011-12/HTML/ucla.htm@@
Although it doesn’t have the most powerful offense in the league, UCLA has been effective scoring runs through means other than the long ball. The Bruins rank fifth in the conference in slugging percentage and are tied for seventh in home runs, but rank second in walks and sacrifice flies, and are among the top five teams in the league in triples, stolen bases and batters hit by pitch.
The Bruins’ offense is anchored by a pair of juniors — outfielder Jeff Gelalich and catcher Tyler Heineman, the brother of Oregon freshman third baseman Scott Heineman. Gelalich is the Pac-12’s second leading hitter (.415 batting average) and is third in slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Heineman is fourth in the league in hitting and fourth in on-base percentage. @@http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/ucla-m-basebl-mtt.html@@ @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=94833&SPID=11401&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205381481&Q_SEASON=2011@@
The pair has combined to score 28 percent of the team’s runs and produce 25 percent of UCLA’s RBI.
But Oregon’s pitching staff should challenge Gelalich, Heineman and the rest of UCLA’s potent offense. Oregon ranks second in the Pac-12 (and 24th nationally) with a 2.94 staff ERA. Duck pitchers limit opposing hitters to 7.15 hits per nine innings, the eighth-lowest mark in the nation. For good measure, Oregon pitchers have also picked off 11 runners, the highest total in the conference. @@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/baseball/d1/current/team/506@@
Meanwhile, although UCLA’s bullpen is stellar (four Bruin relievers have ERAs lower than 2.21), UCLA’s starting rotation has been inconsistent behind staff ace Adam Plutko (4-1, 2.58 ERA). That could provide an opportunity for Oregon’s offense — which has scored more than four runs only once in its last six games — to get on track.
The Bruins’ Friday and Saturday starters, Nick Vander Tuig and Grant Watson, have 4.30 and 5.36 ERAs, respectively, and have combined to surrender 50 percent of UCLA’s home runs allowed and 47 percent of opponents hits.
Alex Keudell will face Plutko in the series opener today, freshman Jake Reed will start for Oregon opposite Vander Tuig tomorrow and Duck sophomore Brando Tessar will start for Oregon on Saturday against Watson.
First pitch Thursday and Friday is at 6 p.m., while Saturday’s series finale begins at noon.